Blood oxygenation level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging

  • Authors:

  • Michael McIntyre;Wolfgang Richter;Dara Morden;Anders Wennerberg;Uta Frankenstein

  • Affiliations:

  • Magnetic Resonance Technology Group, Institute for Biodiagnostics, National Research Council, 435 Ellice Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 1Y6, Canada;Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey;Magnetic Resonance Technology Group, Institute for Biodiagnostics, National Research Council, 435 Ellice Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 1Y6, Canada;Division of Diagnostic Radiology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm SE-141 86, Sweden;Magnetic Resonance Technology Group, Institute for Biodiagnostics, National Research Council, 435 Ellice Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 1Y6, Canada

  • Venue:
  • Concepts in Magnetic Resonance: an Educational Journal - Functional magnetic resonance imaging
  • Year:
  • 2003

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Abstract

The objective of the present article is to provide an introduction to the most widely used method of imaging the functional neuroanatomy of the human brain. The inferential relationship between neural activation and a magnetic resonance signal change is described in detail. The contrast between an active state and a baseline depends on an increased ratio of oxyhemoglobin to deoxyhemoglobin, a longer transverse relaxation time (T 2 * ), decreased levels of paramagnetically induced dephasing, and a consequently stronger signal in the active state. Issues pertaining to image interpretation, spatial and temporal resolution, and image stability are described.